


A Shot In The Dark

by lostintranslation5



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Fluff and Angst, Human Liam, Human Louis, Human Zayn, M/M, Rebellion, Vampire Harry, Vampire Niall, larry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-23
Updated: 2014-05-02
Packaged: 2018-01-16 16:22:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1353898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostintranslation5/pseuds/lostintranslation5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis Tomlinson was just your average university kid. Loud, outgoing, athletic, and intelligent. Now in his second year of school working hard on getting his degree in creative writing and editing, he hardly expects to catch the eye of the new kid who's just rolled into town. </p>
<p>Or, the one where a mysterious dark figure starts at the university and has a strange interest in the school's golden boy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Boy With The Caerulean Eyes

_"Oi, Stan, get your arse out of bed, we're gonna be late!"_

Louis huffed as he tossed a pillow at the sleeping form of his roommate, Stan. While he was by no means a morning person, he sure as hell wasn't going to jeopardize his marks in his classes. And seeing as he and Stan had their first class together, it was always a fight to get the other boy up and up going in the morning. After earning a groan and a middle finger from Stan, Louis felt satisfied enough to head into the bathroom and finish getting ready for class.

Anyone who knew Louis, knew that he wasn't exactly shy about his sexuality. After all, the twenty-one year old owned just about every vibrant colour of trousers in the world, complete with enough pairs of braces to compliment said trousers. He was currently sporting a baby blue trouser, tight enough to show off his assets. Emphasis on _ass._ He tugged the collar of his cream coloured jumper, arranging it so it dipped off his shoulders, accentuating his collarbones.

The corners of his lips tugged upwards at the sight before raising to fixate on his hair. Since he had deemed it necessary to go for the cute and cuddly look for the day, he carefully arranged his hair into a swooping fringe, rather than up in a styled quiff like usual. Bright blue eyes stared back at him through the mirror, tiny crinkles forming on the sides when he smiled.

After careful examination of his person, Louis made his way back into the small kitchenette of the flat he and Stan shared. If there was one thing that was not allowed to be messed with in his morning routine, it would be his first mug of tea. If he missed that in the morning, the rest of the day was shot to hell. So with routine in mind, one hand reached up for a travel mug, while the other grabbed for the container of tea from the shelf. After putting the kettle on, he walked back to the bedrooms to see if his roommate was up yet. And was rewarded by the sight of seeing said roommate standing in the middle of the room, stark naked.

Louis let out an unintentional yelp, turning around quickly. _"Christ Stan, put some bloody clothes on! I did not need to see that!"_ In all fairness, Stan had probably seen Louis naked more times than he could count on both hands, but those were nights when they'd been drinking. This was first thing in the morning! It didn't need to be seen. Louis quickly moved back to the kitchen when he heard the kettle start to whistle, pouring the hot water into the travel mug and sliding the bag of tea inside before putting the lid on.

It only took the two boys another ten minutes before they were out the door and on their way to class. The only nice thing about earlier classes was that the campus was made into a ghost town. The quad was silent, except for the very faintest shuffle of feet of other students going to classes, or on their walk of shame back to their dorms. That was one of the main reasons Louis had invested in getting a flat, rather than living in a dorm. He was in one for his first year, and it wasn't that he minded it, but it did make having a large social life difficult sometimes. And then he met Stan at a lecture, the two hit it off, and when Louis suggested that they find a cheap flat to rent together, it was a no brainer!

After stifling one too many yawns, Louis and Stan managed to get to their lecture with some time to spare. It wasn't like Louis cared about the class anyway. He could care less about economics, but it was a core class that his major required. When he would ever use this class writing books though, he'd never know. He fished around his bag to pull his notebook and a pen out, flopping them unceremoniously onto the desk in front of him. The only benefit for this class was that Stan actually enjoyed it, so he was able to help Louis out for their homework and exams. Stan was an economics godsend.

More people started to filter in the door, the nice easy silence of the classroom building up into a low key rumble of voices. Louis took solace in the warmth of his tea, cradling the mug in his hands, well, more like sweater paws at the moment to avoid burning his hands. He shot a small smile at a couple friends of his that walked past, just eager to get the class on with and done with. Even Stan noticed he was antsy, placing a hand over Louis' shoulder to try to tell him to relax.

Easy said then done. He spent a good chunk of that class moaning under his breath on how boring it all was. Especially when he had a free period after the class, and he wanted to head off to his favourite writing spot. After scribbling down the next homework assignment, their professor finally let them go. And Louis was one of the first people out the door. He was finally free!

As per usual, his first stop was to the little campus cafe. He always needed food at this point, and his buddy Liam always had the morning shift. The golden skinned lad had no idea what would ever possess Liam to get up so early for work, but, he was happy he'd have someone to chat with. As it was only about half nine, the cafe wasn't all that busy. The rush usually happened between ten and twelve. And as expected, Liam's cheerful face was behind the counter, waiting.

 _"Alright Lou? Maxwell bore you to death again?"_ A cheeky smirk wove over the taller lad's lips as he leaned his elbows against the counter. That was one of the reasons Louis liked being around Liam. He could be cheeky one second and support Louis' own weird sense of humour, but he could easily turn around and be the sweet puppy dog with handy advice if needed. It was a good combination in a person. Unlike Louis, who just went from funny, to sass master.

The blue-eyed boy groaned, flopping dramatically down onto the counter. _"You've no idea mate. He kept going on about inputs and outputs and inflation.. I swear, my head was about to explode."_ A large, over-the-top pout covered his features when he looked up at Liam, the other boy just rolling his eyes and giving Louis a sympathetic pat on the arm. _"Sorry Louis. Want your usual, yeah?"_

Louis just nodded, walking over to his customary seat by the window and pulled out a folder for his next class. It was his creative writing class. He had written up a short story for the class, that he thought was done really well. But, ever the critic, he wanted to proof read the entire thing one last time before handing it in. He wasn't really shy about it, but this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He wanted to be able to write, and express stories from the heart. Or make someones fantasy comes true. Or just to let someone escape into a world where everything was better.

He got so lost in the words on the page that he didn't even realize that Liam had come over with his usual treat, until the brown-eyed boy waved a hand in front of Louis' eyes. _"Earth to the Tommo. What even are you reading?"_ Louis blinked a few times, before leaning back in his seat and rubbing a hand over his face. _"Sorry, thanks Li. Just going over another revision of an assignment. Want it to be perfect y'know? Can't afford any fuck ups."_ He was definitely his own worst critic though, and nearly everything he got back in that class, was a very high grade. Honestly, his lowest mark was probably a 92. But he just strived so hard for perfection, and he got in the way of himself sometimes.

After thanking Liam again for the food, and paying for said food, he picked up his things and made his way out onto one of the campus's smaller courtyards. There was one bench he usually managed to commandeer during his free period, and he liked it because it gave him a view of the rest of campus, without being in the way. For all his loud and bubbly personality, he found that having some quiet time to himself was actually very nice. So, after settling himself onto the bench, he pulled out a second notebook, flipping to a blank page.

Normally when he tried to start a new story, he tried to think up a character first. He wanted to picture every inch of skin, what they wore, how they presented themselves, how they moved... everything. He rarely thought up a plot before thinking of a character. And so far, most of his characters were too similar, too basic. He wanted to expand, wanted to push the limit on the type of person he could sculpt with words. He chewed at the end of his pen as he thought, his gaze moving over to quad in hopes of inspiration.

He was shaken out of his stares when he heard a rather rambunctious laugh filter through the quad, and let his head turn towards the noise. It seemed to be coming from a blonde boy standing with a few other people. Louis' lips pressed into a thin line. Well, looks like someone was happy, despite the fact it looked as though the sky could open up on the students at any second. Not that he wasn't used to all the rain and cloudy days. But, he didn't want to chance his books getting wet either. So, reluctantly, he stood, shoving his things back into his bag and making off towards his creative writing class.

It wasn't until he was muttering to himself and turning to walk into the right building, that he ran into a hard surface. Or rather, hard body, as he noted when he blinked back into reality. His eyes traveled up the torso of the person he'd managed to run into, trying fervently to not let his jaw drop when he reached the top. Christ, the lad he had run into was pretty. Pretty didn't even cover it. A wild mess of untamed chocolate curls, held back by a bandana, sea green eyes, full mouth, amazing cheekbones... it almost made Louis want to reach out and touch his torso, see if there were tight muscles under the tight black shirt.

Instead, he opened his mouth to apologize. " _Sorry mate, wasn't watching where I was going. Weather and all, gettin' me all flustered and unfocused. And you didn't need to know that. Sorry, again. Honestly, feel free to shut me up. I tend to babble when I'm nervous, or if I'm running behind..."_ That made him look at his phone, realizing that if he didn't move his abnormally large bum, he actually would be late for class. _"Shit.. okay, I really do have to dash. Sorry again!!"_ Holding back a sigh of resentment of having to leave the hot stranger behind, he kicked it into gear and rushed off to his lecture. That kid probably thought he was an absolute moron by now.

He skidded into class with a few minutes to spare, earning a raised eyebrow from his professor. He gave her a lopsided grin, settling down into his seat as the bell rang, signaling the start of class. Okay, back to focus now. Concentrate on the board, to what his professor was saying. And not think about the hot boy with the amazing eyes and sinfully tight jeans... He had to shift in his seat, as an attempt to not get too excited by the memory. He was thankful when the professor gave everyone a quiet writing period for twenty minutes, allowing him to let out a breath and just focus on his writing.

Of course, once you start off a day like he had, there really wasn't much of a chance of everything else going swimmingly. Which was proven right after a few minutes into quiet writing. The figure Louis had been dead set on trying to get out of his mind, was walking through the door. Well shit. He lowered his eyes to his paper, trying to hold back from letting a blush creep up into his cheeks. He heard the faint mumble when the boy talked to the professor, and only looking back up to see the boy walking past him to an empty seat, blinking rapidly. Could he be any more of a girl?!

Of course the boy had decided to sit behind him, so he couldn't even be sneaky in trying to look at him. He chewed at his bottom lip, trying to make sense of the jibberish he had managed to write down on his paper. Well, that was a waste of a good class. He couldn't focus anymore. He normally prided himself on not being able to be distracted when he was writing, so this was just shameful. And he certainly couldn't concentrate when he kept feeling like there was a pair of sea green eyes boring into his back throughout the rest of the class.


	2. Incandescence

It took a while for Louis to shake off the feeling of being watched after his creative writing class. He had even gone so far as to leave the light on in his bedroom when he slept at night, just to make it seem like nothing was going to sneak up on him. Stan just told him he was being a paranoid twat, which only earned the boy a punch in the arm. Louis knew he was being ridiculous, but he was nothing, if not dramatic. Which was usually proved when he performed in the musicals the university hosted every semester. While his main focus was his writing major, he had taken on drama as a minor, and loved immersing himself in the music, and the sets of the musicals and plays the university offered.

One of his best mates, Zayn, had also tried to coax him into joining the university's football team. He had really big into it when he was in secondary school, but ever since coming to university, he wanted to focus on classes that would form his future. that never stopped him from participating in small footie matches for fun. He still loved the sport, and there just wasn't any way he could give that up.

It was actually after a little scrimmage match that Louis finally was able to shake off the feeling of being watched. He let his mates take the pressure off his mind as they passed the ball around, laughing over one or two of the players tripping over their own feet. The blue-eyed lad could have kissed Zayn for helping him out.

He was currently sprawled out on the lawn, an arm thrown over his eyes. It had been his turn to trip over his own feet, and instead of whining, he figured he'd just embrace his idiocy and just stay on the ground. He could hear someone shuffling next to him, peeking an eye out from under his arm. It was Zayn. Of course it was.

 _"Nice try Lou. Almost had that last pass until you got caught up on your own feet."_ The dark haired boy smirked, his teeth showing.

Louis groaned, rolling over onto his stomach. _"You suck Malik. I would have done just fine if Dan hadn't put so much spin on the ball. Had to readjust course just to get there in time."_

Zayn just snorted, shaking his head. He had known Louis long enough now to know that arguing was just pointless. Even if Louis was wrong, he made sure he sounded right no matter what. He leaned back on his elbows next to Louis, looking up into the sky. _"Oh, hey, y'hear that Ed's hosting another party tonight? Said he wanted to expand or summat. Even heard he was letting year one's into the house this year."_

Louis sat up, an eyebrow quirked. That was new. Ed never let underclassman into his parties, claiming he wanted to give the poor newbies a chance to do their own university thing before dropping to the party level. The only reason Louis and Zayn had wiggled their way into the house last year was because Zayn caught Ed in a rather compromising position, and basically blackmailed the ginger haired boy into letting them come to the parties. And now, the three lads were close friends, so it all worked out in the end.

 _"Weird. Maybe he's just asked a couple or something then. Doubt he'd ever go so far to allow any year ones to come in."_ He shrugged along with his statement. Guss they'd have to find out once they got to the party. Not that he really cared though. Any time he had gone to one of Ed's parties, he just stuck close to the people he knew well. He probably wouldn't even notice who was a year one once he was there and had a few drinks.

He jumped a bit when his phone vibrated in his pocket, frowning and fishing out the device. A smile broke over his lips though when he saw it was a text from Liam. He opened the message, chewing lightly on his lower lip before passing his fingers over the keyboard to answer the text. Zayn nudged him, nodding at the phone. _"Got a boyfriend I don't know about Louis?"_ Louis took a moment from his response to glare up at the boy next to him. _"No, ya twat. It's just Liam, the bloke from the cafe. Remember? I introduced you last month."_

He only got a grunt of acknowledgement in return, rolling his eyes and responding to the text. He passed on the information of Ed's party, hoping that Liam could make it. It'd be nice to hang out somewhere other than the cafe. After the message was sent, he got up to his feet, stretching his arms up above his head, a small sliver of golden skin peeking under the hem of his shirt. _"Gotta run Z. See ya at the party yeah?"_

Zayn nodded, getting to his own feet. _"Yeah, sounds good mate. Wear something sexy, maybe you'll get laid this time!"_ And then laughed, running off before Louis' angry swat could get him.

* * *

 

Getting ready for the party was always a chore for Louis. He tried to look perfect, tried to look like sex on legs. Which, was often hard to do considering his shorter height. But, he was going to try his best to look great. After a longer shower than necessary (he was absolutely NOT getting in a quick wank before the party), he moved to his closet, frowning at everything in it. He pulled out a few pieces, not really sure which seemed best. And okay, he might have sent pictures to Zayn for opinions. Zayn always had it easy. He could throw on skinny jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket and he was a model. Louis took a lot longer to look pretty.

After a good hour of debate, Louis finally picked his outfit for the night. A pair of black skinnies, a gray graphic tee, and a pair of his favourite TOMS. He had purposely picked his shirt for the lower neckline, wanting to show off his collarbones and part of the tattoo that spanned over his chest. He messed up his hair with some gel, giving it his best sex hair look. He had debated shaving, but the bit of scruff looked good with his outfit so he didn't bother. After putting on some deodorant and a bit of cologne, he was set.

It only took about ten minutes to get to Ed's house, and he could hear the bass thumping out of the house three streets away. He had texted Zayn when he was a few minutes away, getting a response that Zayn was going to be a little late since he was helping his girlfriend, Perrie, dye her hair. And Liam still hadn't gotten in touch with him on whether he was going to come out. So, he walked in alone, the beat of the music pumping into his ears. The party was already in full swing, every had a red cup in their hand and there were a a good number of people dancing in the living room.

He moved to the kitchen to grab a drink, running into Ed, who was coming out with a full cup.

_"Louis! You made it! Party's bangin' yeah? Got drinks in the fridge, help yourself!"_

Louis chuckled, clapping Ed on the back as the ginger headed kid staggered off into the living room. Always a character that one. He bee-lined through people to get to the fridge, grabbing himself a beer. After taking a few sips, he made his way out to the living room, looking to see if Zayn or Liam were there yet. He had no news texts, so he assumed no. He did catch sight of a familiar looking blonde boy, but just passed it off.

It only took him about two drinks until he felt loose enough to join the dance floor. This is where it was usually helpful to have Zayn around. Zayn was one of his go-to dance partners at parties. But for some reason, tonight he really didn't care. He knew enough people at the party from school, and most of them knew how he acted at parties. So it really wasn't anything new. So, it was only a matter of time before he was in the crowd of people, dancing along to whatever Ed had thought would make a good party mix. The blue-eyed lad had his eyes closed, letting his hips sway to the beat of the music. 

It didn't take long for someone to press up against his back, but he didn't even care. The alcohol was swimming pleasantly around his system, the music has a nice deep bass, and now he had someone to grind back against. He pushed back into the person behind him, grinning as he heard a soft groan. His teeth grazed his lip, moving to turn around to face the person. But he was stopped, hands grabbing hold of his hips to anchor him in place.

_"Don't turn around. Want you to stay like this."_

Louis shivered at the voice. It was deep and throaty, a voice that he wanted to swallow. He took a glance down at the hands at his waist, amazed that the long pale fingers could even take up the entire span of his waist. The more he leaned back against the body, the more he tried to figure it out. Whoever was pressed up against his back was definitely taller, and he thought he could feel the presence of taught muscles. He really wanted to turn around and see what this guy looked like. Instead, he tried to focus on dancing, soaking up the mystery. He wasn't even worried about who this person could be. 

_"I've been watching you, y'know.. you're quite distracting. All golden skinned and sky-eyed, not to mention an intoxicating body to go along with your sharp tongue."_

Louis froze momentarily. This person liked to watch him? And had gotten close enough to know his eye colour, and how he acted? Okay, that was a little creepy. 

_"Who- who are you..? And why are you watching me?"_

A grainy chuckle came from behind him, the fingers on his waist losing their grip. And despite the reservations of knowing this guy had been watching him, Louis found himself missing the feel of those large hands wrapped around him.

_"I watch you because you fascinate me. Would love to get to know you better, but we'll have to wait for now love."_

Louis took a deep breath, trying to absorb the words. And definitely spaced out for a few seconds. He frowned, turning to look at the person behind him, not caring what the guy said about nothing turning around. But there was no one there. He was fully aware he probably looked like a fish out of water at that moment, standing in the middle of the dance floor with his mouth open. And all he could think of is if he had imagined it all.

Ed's figure came looming into his line of vision, and he had to blink a few times to re-focus.

_"Whoa Tommo, robbing the cradle? Saw you grinding with one of the year one's! why'd you let him disappear?"_

Okay, so it had been real. He gave Ed a meek smile and a shrug.

_"Dunno mate... first he told me not to turn around, then was saying how he was watching me cuz I'm fascinating or summat.. then he left... wait, did you say year one?!"_

The mystery kid was a year one?! Louis groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. 

_"What did he even look like? Did you get a good look?"_

Ed shrugged, taking a sip out of the cup in his hand. 

_"Didn't get a good look if m'honest. Just tall, had curly hair, had skinnier jeans that you're wearing.."_

Louis sighed, shaking his head. This was insane. He gave Ed a pat on the shoulder, and indicated he was going to head out for the night. And he could have sworn as he walked through the door, that someone was watching him. He turned, a flash of sea green meeting sky blue before fading into the crowd. Well dammit all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone reading! Got a little more dialogue in this chapter, an another character. The next chapter will be when Louis finally speaks to Harry, and might add in another character or two. 
> 
> Love you guys!! <33


	3. The Boy In The Shadows

It seemed like wherever Louis went after Ed's party, he kept seeing green. It could be something as simple as someone passing by him wearing a green shirt, and his mind would immediately flash to sea green eyes. It was getting to the point where they'd creep into his dreams. Almost in a Cheshire cat form, only the eyes glowing in the backdrop of dark shadows. Absorbing himself in his coursework only took up about half his mind. He knew he was probably just paranoid, and needed to get a better social life, but he couldn't shake it.

The boy in his creative writing class never came back, a fact he was quick to pout over. Maybe it was petty, but that boy had the eyes he kept dreaming of, and in a sick way, he thought that if he could see them a few times a week, his obsession might go away. Instead, it was only getting worse.

It was a few weeks later that everything changed. He was staying late in one of the music rooms, trying to get inspiration for his latest short story. Quite often he found he could write easier if he tried to put each setting to a musical theme. So, he was sat at the baby grand piano, his half finished story next to him on the bench, and blank sheets of sheet music up on the stand. The caramel haired lad set his mouth into a thin line as he let his dainty fingers dance over the black and white keys. The scene he was trying to set was a joyful one, but all his fingers seemed to produce were melancholy tunes. Not exactly was he was trying for.

With a groan of exasperation and a clashing of notes as his forehead hit the keys, he decided it was time to head home. It was already a quarter past ten at night, and he didn't really want to be locked inside the building if he could help it. He shoved his papers into his bag, before getting up and trudging out of the hall. And just in time too, as he caught sight of one of the janitors packing up his things. With a quiet and polite greeting to the man, Louis slipped out of the doors into the cool night air.

He immediately regretted telling Stan that he could take the car for the afternoon, despite the fact the walk wasn't too bad from the campus back to their flat. But it was chilly and he had neglected to bring a jacket with him that day. He could just imagine his mother's voice in his head, saying I told you so. The blue-eyed boy huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and continuing his trek home.

It wasn't until he was halfway across campus when things got weird. First was the flickering of the lampposts that dotted the grounds of the campus. If it had only been one or two of them, Louis would have just blamed it on faulty electrical wires. But when an entire row started to flicker, it kind of freaked him out.

Then came the footsteps. He thought he was just hearing things, or maybe his own steps echoed louder than he thought. But when he paused in the middle of the walk way, the other steps stopped. It would stay quiet for a few seconds when he started to walk again, until he could hear the footsteps behind him. Every inch of his body was screaming at him to run, but he tried to fight it. This was just classic paranoia, coupled with it being late and him being tired. This wasn't the movies, no one was going to leap at him out of the shadows. However, he didn't count of a shadow speaking to him either.

_"Y'know... it's not wise to walk alone out here so late. Could be dangerous."_

Louis was not proud of the high pitched screech that came from his mouth when the voice spoke, nor was he proud of stumbling over his own feet and sprawled over onto the grass. His wide eyes looked for the source, not seeing anyone. He thought he had finally cracked and gone too crazy to be saved, until he saw movement from one of the shaded alleys he'd been walking past.

Now, any normal person would have either screamed, or gotten up and run away as fast as they could. And both those thoughts ran through Louis' head, until he saw who the figure was. It was the boy from class, the one he had run into over a month ago. The boy with the sea green eyes that Louis just couldn't forget. Louis swallowed, blinking up at the boy, momentarily forgetting that his bum was now getting wet from the dew covering the grass.

_"Suppose I could say the same for you then. Why the bloody hell are you creeping 'round the alleys anyway huh? Thought I was gonna piss myself hearing a voice with no body around."_

If there was anything he was good at, it would be having extra strength sass, no matter what situation he was in. The boy stepped closer, an amused smirk placed on his features. Christ.. a smirk should never look that hot..

_"I prefer the dark, and seeing you out here alone.. well, it seemed necessary to try to warn you against potential threats."_

Was this kid for real? Seriously? Louis gave him a pointed look, pulling himself up off the ground and brushing off his trousers.

_"So you saying I look like jail bait or something? Classy mate."_

For all his starry-eyed dreams about this boy and his eyes, he wasn't sure he liked the attitude that went along with the looks. So what if the boy looked like he had just walked fresh out of a Vogue photoshoot.. he came off arrogant and judging. Not exactly a good mix. So it was with a sense of pride when he saw a bit of the smirk on the taller lad's face falter.

_"I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all."_

Wait, what? Louis' eyes narrowed, trying to make sense of that comment. Why would this kid, who he barely knew, care about whether or not he got home safe? The gesture was nice and all, but having a stranger say something like that was really weird.

_"What's your game, mate? I mean, I don't even know who you are. For all I know, you're just saying this stuff so I'll feel all safe and let you drag me back to your cave and have your way with me or summat."_

If Louis had felt proud watching the smirk fall before, he was immensely proud now, watching the other lad's face contort into a mix between anxious and bewildered. The air of mystery that had built up around the boy was starting to crumble, and he really didn't even seem all that threatening anymore. He looked more like your average gangly giraffe. Which, Louis found incredibly endearing, given the current circumstances.

_"Suppose I owe you something. We'll start with a name. M'Harry."_

Harry. Louis liked how that sounded in his head. He straightened his shoulders, looking up into Harry's face. Despite the fact he'd been seeing sea green eyes everywhere, and that the lighting was shit, he could swear that Harry's eyes had gone from sea green to forest green. Almost black even. If it wasn't so dark and late, he would have investigated closer.

 _"Well then, Harry-"_ the name sounded even better on his tongue.. _"Are you planning on walking me home so you can keep an eye on me, or are you going to go back into the alley and wait around for someone else to walk past so you can scare them too?"_

Louis sincerely hoped for the former option, if only to feed his own desires. After all, it didn't seem like Harry had much of anything else to do except creep around in the shadows. Plus, Louis didn't really want to walk back alone as it was, so it'd be nice to have some company. He realized he could have just as easily called Stan and had him come down to get him, but oh well.

_"If you wouldn't be adverse to my company, I could escort you home, yes."_

Louis smiled, clapping his hands together.

_"Right then. Let's head on shall we? I'm rather tired, and I still have to find something to eat."_

He frowned, his stomach choosing right then to betray him with a loud growl. He could see the corners of Harry's mouth twitch upwards, evidently hearing the grumble. He knew it was his own fault for skipping lunch that day, but he had gotten sucked into his writing that he never even thought about it until it was too late.

_"I'd be more than happy to accompany you to a cafe if you're that hungry. It's not good to walk around on an empty stomach."_

If Louis didn't know any better, he'd think that was a lame attempt at asking for a date. Instead he just smiled, and shook his head.

_"Nah, m'sure my roommate cooked something up when he got home. I'll just eat there. Thanks though."_

The more Harry spoke, the more Louis noticed that he used incredibly proper manners and speech patterns. It was almost like he was dropped from another period in history into the present. That was an absurd notion, but it sure seemed like it could fit. The walk back to the flat was relatively quiet, excluding Louis prattling on about something useless for a few seconds before realizing what he was saying was mental and shut up. At least Harry seemed to be taking it all in stride, giving only a few couple sentenced comments every now and then. Still, Louis was a bit downtrodden when they finally reached his building. He didn't want to let Harry go yet.

_"So uh, thanks for walking me back here. I really appreciate it."_

If it were any other night, and if Stan wasn't home, he probably would have invited Harry up for tea, and who know what else. But for some reason, he didn't want that. He actually wanted to get to know the curly-haired lad, wanted to figure out the mystery around him. And he was sure that it wasn't going to be an easy feat either. 

_"You're most welcome. I'm glad to know you're home safe. Make sure you eat, and rest well once you get inside."_

Louis blinked, nodding a bit. " _Right.. yeah. Guess I'll see you around Harry..._ "

He turned, making his way into the building and up to his flat. It looked like Stan had already gone to bed, but left a note for Louis about food in the fridge. He smiled, setting his bag down on one of the kitchen chairs. His teeth grazed his lower lip as he went over to the living room, peeking around the curtain to look outside. It wasn't like he expected Harry to still be there, but he wanted to check anyway. Surprisingly, Harry was still standing exactly where Louis had left him. But he wasn't alone. Harry was now in the company of the bottle blonde that Louis had seen a few weeks ago. Did he live around here or something?

Louis frowned, too lost in thought to notice a pair of green and a pair of blue eyes glancing up to the window. And by the time he collected himself, the two boys were gone. He rubbed at his eyes, forgoing Harry's advice to eat, and trudged off towards his room. It had been a far too crazy day, and right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. And after changing into a pair of loose pj pants, that's exactly what he did. And for the first time in over a month, there was no green in his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait guys! So Louis has finally met Harry, pouring on the sass in the process. Next chapter i want to hopefully get Niall in the picture, maybe have Harry meet one of Louis' friends too, we'll see. 
> 
> Love you all! <33


	4. Who Are You?

Waking up the next morning was a whole new experience for Louis. He had slept soundly through the night, not even dreaming. And for once, when he opened his eyes, he actually felt energized and awake. It felt good and strange at the same time. As luck would have it, he also didn't have class until the afternoon, so he had been able to sleep in as well.

His arms rose up above his head, his toes pointing as he let his body stretch out completely. He didn't know why he felt so good this morning, but he was thoroughly enjoying it. He rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes, ridding them of the sleep that had collected in the corners overnight. He knew he was alone in the flat, as Stan had another early class that day. Louis felt lucky to only have a couple days of early classes during the week. He was definitely more of a night owl than a morning person.

After a good twenty minute lie-in, he pulled himself out of bed and shuffled out to the kitchen. He hummed happily to himself as he picked up a sticky note Stan had left on the fridge, just saying that he wasn't going to be home for the night, electing to do an all night study session with some people from another class. That was fine. Louis didn't really have plans, so now he could just have some Louis time after his classes were done for the night. And Louis time usually involved take away, movie marathons, and blanket cocoons on the couch.

He made his usual cup of tea, scratching a hand over his bare chest. The benefit of Stan having mostly early classes was that Louis was free to roam the flat in just his pants. It wasn't like they had that many visitors either, so walking around almost nude was never a problem. Besides, Louis tended to just wear his pants at home, even if Stan was there. He had no shame. He knew he probably should, but he didn't. He was comfortable enough with himself to not care what anyone else thought of him. Especially at the university. He had dealt with enough backlash in secondary school when he came out of the closet, so after starting university, he decided to be 100% himself. And people could shove it if they didn't like it.

He sipped at his tea, walking over to the living room and flopping down on the couch. He flicked on the TV, scrolling through a few programs before settling on a cooking show. He always felt jealous of the people on those shows. He couldn't cook to save his life, except for maybe microwave meals. Stan had banned him from touching any of the pots and pans after one near fatal accident. He hadn't _intentionally_ let the food on the stove catch on fire! It had smelled like burnt pasta for weeks after that incident.

As he sat on the couch, his mind began to wander back to the night before. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about all of it. Harry had for sure scared the crap out of him in the beginning. He wasn't all that proud of the noise he had made when Harry had emerged from the alley. It was not manly to screech like that! He didn't know if he was just stupid, or a martyr or something, but despite all the signs telling him to never be around Harry again, he didn't think he could stay away. There was just something about the curly-haired lad that Louis wanted to figure out.

He always liked a good adventure, and a good mystery, and Harry was just his newest subject. He was also curious about the bottle blonde that he kept seeing whenever Harry was around. They seemed like good friends, so part of Louis wanted to see if he could meet up with the blonde and weasel out some information about the green-eyed boy. Unfortunately though, he had no idea how to even begin to contact the blonde.

Louis sighed, pulling himself off the couch, and dropping his now empty tea cup into the sink. He had already wasted most of his morning, and he had class in an hour. Luckily, it was a class he enjoyed. He moved to his bedroom, rummaging around his closet for something to wear. For all the clothes he had, he was the pickiest person ever when it came to choosing outfits. He settled on a pair of dark washed skinnies, a red and white horizontal striped t-shirt, and another pair of his trademark TOMs. After grabbing what he needed for class, as well as his phone and keys, he was out the door.

The sun was actually out, which he was happy about. He liked feeling the warmth on his skin. A smile cracked over his lips as he walked across the quad, waving to a few friends along the way. He had left the flat a bit earlier then anticipated, so he was able to take his time getting to his class.

_"Oi, Tommo, wait up!"_

Louis turned, seeing Zayn jogging after him. The smile on his face widened as he paused to let the other boy catch up.

_"Hey Zaynie. What's up?"_

He had almost forgotten that Zayn had a class in the same building during that hour in the day.

_"Not much. Just got out of class with Stan. Said you were outside with some hottie last night."_

Louis's eyebrows rose, surprised Stan had even been up. He hadn't seen him when he had gotten inside the flat last night.

_"Oh, yeah, that's Harry. Bit of an odd one really. First he scared the crap outta me when I was walking home from the music room, then he started talking about wanting me to stay safe, and then walked me home."_

He still wasn't sure why the boy had seemed so intent on making sure he wasn't harmed, but whatever. He could see the wheels in Zayn's head turning, trying to understand the situation.

_"Oh.. weird. Oh wait, Stan was describing him.. tall with curly brown hair, yeah?"_

Louis nodded, again surprised Stan had seen that much last night.

_"Uh yeah, that's him. He's got green eyes too."_

Zayn chuckled, rolling his eyes.

_"Anyway, I've got this kid on one of my classes that's good friends with a guy who fits that description. He's actually pretty cool. Kid's Irish, loud as can be. Maybe you've seen him around, he's got dyed blonde hair."_

Louis could have kissed Zayn for saying that. That HAD to be the kid Harry was with last night! He tried not to let the enthusiasm show in his eyes when he looked at the dark haired lad.

_"Yeah? Might have to meet him sometime, sounds like a riot to be around."_

Zayn nodded, glancing down at his watch.

_"Yeah, definitely. I've got to run to class, but I'll see if Niall wants to hang tonight or something. I'll text you."_

Louis waved as Zayn headed inside to his class, realizing that he should probably do the same. And Niall huh? Good to know.

* * *

 

It took about two hours for Louis to sweat before Zayn got in touch with him. Apparently, Zayn had elected to throw a party at his place, telling Louis that Niall had enthusiastically agreed to come. And told Louis to invite anyone else he wanted. He knew Stan would be busy, but he did shoot a text to Liam, hoping the lad would actually show up to a party this time. And then came the fun part. Trying to figure out what the hell he was going to wear.

It was a couple hours until the party, and Louis was sitting in the middle of his bedroom floor, surrounded by clothes, and with a pout on his lips. He was happy Stan wasn't home at this point, knowing his friend would just laugh at his predicament instead of helping him out. It was ridiculous that it was this hard to make a choice.

So, after a good hour of playing dress-up, he finally settled on pieces of clothing he thought would work. Black skinnies, a denim button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled into cuffs, and white shoes. He had briefly considered just throwing on another pair of his TOMs, but wanted to make a better impression. Besides, most of his TOMs were starting to look a bit ratty since he wore them so often. 

He grabbed the hair gel from his dresser, moving into the bathroom to fix his hair. It took him a few seconds to stop obsessing over how he really needed a hair cut soon, and work on getting his hair into the proper quiff he was trying for. It took longer than he had wanted, but he managed to get it to where he liked it. And after putting deodorant and a bit of cologne on, he made his way out of the flat and off to Zayn's.

He could hear the music pumping as he walked inside the building, a smile on his lips. And he was even a bit early, so this probably meant that the night was going to be a lot of fun. He didn't bother knocking once he got to Zayn's door, opting to just let himself in. It wasn't like he was going to be heard over the music anyway. The party wasn't going as strong as he thought it was, only a small handful of people were there. He moved to the kitchen, grabbing a drink from the fridge and turning to see Zayn walking into the room.

_"Hey Lou! Glad you made it!"_

Louis grinned, raising his bottle in greeting.

_"Are you kidding? Wouldn't miss it for the world mate."_

Especially not if this Niall kid was gonna be there. Of course, that was absolutely NOT the reason he had come to the party. He wasn't obsessed with learning as much as he could about Harry, not at all!

He returned the brotherly hug Zayn gave him, before walking out to the living room. Zayn had managed to rearrange his furniture to make a big space for a dance floor. Louis was excited to see how the evening was going to turn out. He mingled for the first hour, talking to some people he knew from classes. It was odd seeing some of them out of class, but he was enjoying himself. But it wasn't until he heard Zayn's voice saying _Niall_ that he got really excited. He turned towards the door, seeing Zayn embrace a pale, bottle blonde boy by the door. That was him. Louis could recognize that hair anywhere. However, what he didn't expect was Harry's tall figure coming in through the door after Niall's. Well then.

He swallowed down the rest of the drink in his cup, walking towards the door. In an effort to no seem too curious, he simply slung his arm around Zayn's shoulders, grinning at the two newcomers.

_"Ello lads! 'Arry, fancy seeing you here mate! Took a night off of skulking around the shadows tonight, yeah?"_

He chuckled, realizing that that was just the most idiotic thing he could have said right then. Luckily for Louis though, he was saved embarrassment by a deep throaty chuckle from Harry.

_"That had been my original plan. But Nialler here told me about a very promising sounding party, and I figured a change of scenery might be nice."_

Louis took the mention of the blonde's name to actually turn and look him over. He had Harry's skin, painted alabaster with no mention of being sun-kissed. Unlike Harry though, his eyes were bright blue instead of green. And he wore a cheerful looking smile on his features. Louis smiled, moving his arm from Zayn's shoulders to hold out his hand. 

_"So, guess that make you Niall. Nice to meet ya."_

As expected, the blonde eagerly returned the handshake offered.

_"You too! Looks like it's going to be a wicked night. See Harry? I knew it would be good to get out and have some fun for once!"_

A leprechaun.. that's immediately what the blonde reminded Louis of. And the Irish accent was a deal breaker. He glanced back towards Harry, a bit surprised to see that the latter's green eyes were focused on him. To break that bit of tension, he tossed the boy a cheeky wink, and sauntered back into the fray of the party.

* * *

 

As expected, the party was a massive hit. Everyone got pissed out of their minds, and nearly everyone did at least one embarrassing thing. Louis's was dancing on the table singing a Shakira song. So what... he had hips, and he wasn't lying! He was vaguely aware of a few people taking pictures but oh well. He had no shame to begin with anyway.

Liam had ended up making it to the party in the couple hours, a fact which Louis was very happy about. It was nice to see his puppy-eyed friend outside of the coffee shop. Of course, Liam didn't drink nearly as much as the rest of them, but enough to make him loosen up.

The bulk of the guests had filtered out of the flat, yelling out goodbyes and rsvps to other parties coming up in the week. Now it was only Louis, Zayn, Harry, Niall and Liam sitting around the empty dance floor. Louis was sprawled out on his tummy, a half empty beer bottle clutched in his hands as he listened to Niall recount a vacation he once took over in Germany. Louis was actually fading in and out of the conversation, but it was still fun listening to the blonde talk.

All of the boys got on better than Louis expected, each complimenting the others in personality. He and Niall were relatively evenly matched for loudest person, just a bit more flamboyant on Louis's end. Liam was definitely the most level headed, Zayn was more pensive than usual, and Harry.. well, Harry was quiet, but then threw in these random puns and god awful jokes at the most bizarre times in conversation. As crappy as the jokes were, Louis was enjoying seeing this side of Harry. He didn't seem as mysterious cracking puns about ducklings or yodeling.

It didn't take long for Liam to call it a night, since he had a relatively long trip back to his own flat. Louis wrapped the boy into a hug before he left.

_"Thanks for coming out Li. Should do it again sometime. I'll keep you updated on any upcoming ones."_

The brown eyed boy smiled, nodding in agreement.

_"Sounds good. I'm happy I could make it! The other lads seem pretty cool, definitely have to do it again."_

Louis said a final goodbye before walking back to the other boys, electing to flop down on the couch instead of the floor. 

_"Oi, Louis! Harry 'ere says you've both got creative writing together. Is that a good class? I'm tryin' ta think up fillers for next semester."_

Louis turned his gaze towards the blonde, nodding.

_"Yeah, it's my favourite class actually. I mean, it's great because it's part of my major, but you get a lot of freedom with it. Almost every class has a good solid half hour of silent writing. I get lost in it a lot."_

He couldn't even count how many times he had gotten so wrapped up in writing that the professor had to actually shake his shoulder to tell him class was over. He enjoyed it more than humanly possible.

_"What's your major then Louis?"_

Louis's eyes traveled to the deep voice that had spoken, trying not to stare at the boy it belonged to. Honestly, how the hell was Harry even human?! With that porcelain skin, chocolate curls, bright green eyes, lips that would look so good stretched around his.. nope, not gonna go there.

_"Oh um, I'm majoring in English. Want to be an author some day. But I really like victorian era styling, and absolutely anything fictional. Just nice to have an escape from the world sometimes."_

It wasn't ever really that he needed an escape, but being pulled into another world just by simple words on a page was something he held near and dear to his heart. The conversation faded out around two in the morning, after a very sad attempt of Zayn trying to convince Louis to just stay the night. But, because he was stubborn, and mostly just wanted his own bed, Louis managed to hoist himself off the couch and teetered to the door after saying his goodbye. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't that taken back when Harry offered to escort him home again, this time with Niall in tow.

The walk back wasn't very eventful, none of the three boys saying much. Although, even in his drunken stupor, Louis seemed to notice that despite both of the other boys having drank as much, or more, than he had, they didn't seem like the alcohol had affected them at all. Once they got to the gate by his building, he turned to say his goodbyes.

_"Wicked time lads. Should come out partying with us lot more often. Cheers for helping me back though. Got a bit more pissed than I had planned."_

An unnecessary hiccup echoed his last sentence, but he was past the point of being embarrassed. He could have sworn though that he saw a brief look on Niall's face, that seemed like a mixture of anxious and pained. He opened his mouth to ask, but was interrupted by Harry.

_"Was a lovely evening Louis. You should go get some sleep. It is quite late after all."_

Louis blinked a few times to try to clear up the haze building in front of his eyes, before shrugging and nodding.

_"Yeah.. s'not a bad idea. Top night lads, see ya later."_

He gave a very half-hearted wave as he turned to walk up into his flat. But not before he could hear Niall's voice whispering to Harry. 

_"You need to be careful.. I see what you mean about him, but it's dangerous. You could get into serious trouble if you keep holding off.."_

Louis didn't know if he actualy heard it or not, but by the time he turned around to ask, both of the other boys were gone. He stood for a moment by the door to the building, trying to make sense of it all before realizing he was probably just way too drunk to comprehend anything and made his way up to his flat, immediately sinking onto his bed and passing out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So so sorry for the wait guys!!! It's been a hellish few weeks at work, and then last week I was on a mini vacation for my uncle's wedding. And to top it off, I've currently got the shittiest case of an eye infection, so writing takes a while. BUT, I got this chapter up, and I'm gonna try to keep more on top of more chapters to come.
> 
> So, all the boys got acquainted, not as much dialogue as I was anticipating, but the next chapter should have some more in depth conversations in it. Hope you all liked it, and I love you guys for all the kudos/comments! <333

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, so I'm not sure how well it's all going to turn out, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I'm more than happy to hear comments, and advice, but if you're going to say something rude or snarky, get off this page, I don't have time to hear people complain.
> 
> However, if you like what you read, please let me know! Knowing people actually enjoy reading my stories, helps give me to push to keep them going!


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